Tag Archives: Oshawa City Hall

The City of Oshawa has created a “First Ever Public Art Task Force!” aka a “feedback loop” for the arts community to perhaps influence policy for striving artists, creative businesses and “community wealth” projects in Oshawa. I wish this great group the BEST; a lot of imagination and passion in these members; and making culture count in Oshawa is an extraordinary task. Bless Up!

The City of Oshawa is pleased to announce the City’s first Public Art Task Force.

The Public Art Task Force will help support the Public Art Policy and support the City’s Recreation & Culture Services staff on activities including assisting with the development of a city-wide Public Art Strategy, advising on new public art projects and priorities, reviewing public art donations and making recommendations on juried public art competitions.

The Public Art Task Force is comprised of representatives from stakeholder organizations and groups (e.g. The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Durham College, Oshawa Art Association, Cultural Leadership Council) and individual community members who were selected following a public call for applications.

*Author’s note: i haven’t posted much lately, the earthly rat race has had me. i have a few archive blog ideas that i hope to get published soon. It was fun to be at RMG First Fridays. a lot of high energy moments, and wish I had a few more photos capturing these happenings in this post. I look forward to the November RMG First Friday.

As i was making way down the path at Oshawa City Hall to the RMG, i noticed a new garden. a Monarch WayStation. A project by MonarchWatch.org

When i entered the RMG, there was a table that had two raffle boxes: first raffle box was for two tickets to see a rock band at The Moustache Club and second raffle box was for a RMG kid’s package in Gallery A. I filled out one raffle ticket and put it into the raffle box to see a rock band at The Moustache Club I also notice a large banner hanging on the wall. The RMG First Fridays is branding well I thought.

There was a gluten free snack table serving cookies, brownies, pastries and sandwiches. i bought a lemon tart.

I than walked up the stairs to sit and listen to tonight’s featured music performance by FIURAN.

RMG First Fridays is a nice social gathering to catch up with friends, meet new people, an opportunity to see the newest art exhibit and hear new music.

On the first Friday of the month, join the RMG in celebrating local talent. The gallery buzzes with live musical performances, interactive art experiences, open gallery spaces, social mingling and more. Suitable for music lovers, youth, families, date nights, and culture-vultures.

Free to attend | 7-10pm | Cash Bar | All ages welcome.

Follow the twitter feed at #RMGFridays!

Following RMG Fridays, join us at The Moustache Club for the official after party! Present proof of attending RMG Fridays at the door and get a discount on cover at the Club.

Are you a film-maker and you’d like to show your film at Friday Film Features? Learn More

Are you interested in performing at RMG Fridays? Please contact Carla Sinclair, Manager of Community & Volunteer Development at csinclair@rmg.on.ca

When I attended the Durham Region International Film Festival at the Regent Theatre, I had the opportunity to join the VIP Pre-Screening event on the balcony and schmooze with the big cats. One such cat was Councilor John Neal. To make chit-chat, he ask if I was going to City Council Meeting this Monday, and I told him thanks for letting me know and I will it into my calendar.

Monday was a slow day, so I didn’t cause too much trouble today. My Mom gave me a ride to Brew Wizards for 4pm. I spoke with Pat finding easy games to donate to Brain Injuries Association of Durham (BIAD) because their game stock needed better fun and simpler games – like: matching cards, Snakes and Latters, Connect Four, Guess Who and Shark Attack to name a few. Pat was impressed with my “Shark Attack” name drop. He told me he would try to help me out. I order va samosa, 3 cookies and coffee, went into back room to chill and read a chapter from The Convoluted Universe Book 2.

I left Brew Wizards around 6:10pm. Oshawa City Council Meeting starts at 6:30pm. I didn’t know what was on the agenda, but if a City Councilor ask me about attending, I figured the Universe was conspiring fdor me to be there.

As I enter Oshawa Civic Square, I noticed it was a lovely day there, and I started to snap photos. I notice I was pressing up against time, it was 6:25pm. I decided to slow down on my photo snapping and get my butt into Oshawa City Hall fot the City Council Meeting.

When I enter the Council Chambers, the Council meeting had started, so I grab a City Council Meeting agenda from the table and found a chair and sat down.

“…Council to rescind the council seat appointments made on March 20, 2017 and revist the appointment process for filing the vacancy.”

In the Standing Committee Reports section, a couple of the “Reports of the Corporate Services” Committee fascinated me:

1. Board and Committee Best Practices (CORP-17-39)(See Page 500 and Pages 1 to 8)
Recommendation1. That Council authorize the City Clerk to implement administrative practicesby Q1, 2018 in support of:
a. measures to identify required skills, experience and representation on boards and committees;
b. flexible board and committee recruitment methods to broaden potential applicants reflective of required skills, experience and representation;
c. measures to encourage recruitment of individuals reflective of the City’s diversity, including outreach and potential partnerships with relevant community organizations;
d. measures to identify and monitor the progress of diversity represented on the City’s boards and committees including a voluntary, self-identified, confidential diversity questionnaire to be included with application packages for appointment; and,
e. applicant screening and short-listing methods to support appropriate fit and Council’s review of applicants, to be determined by the City Clerk in consultation with applicable staff; and,

*I read this and though this could be a sample of what a Policy and Procedure Guideline could look like for EOII

2. That the City Clerk provide reporting to Council on the progress of the administrative practices implemented, including aggregate reporting on diversity represented on boards and committees in a manner which would not identify any individual and other best practice recommendations; and,

*That’s an interest way to use words to hold boards and committee unaccountable and lack transparency

3. That the City Clerk prepare any necessary housekeeping amendments tothe Advisory Committees of Council Policy and Procedure for Council’sconsideration; and,

4. That Resolution CORP-17-20 be removed from the Corporate Services

2. Appointments to the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee and the OshawaCentral Business District Improvement Area Board of Management(CORP-17-40)(See Page 506 and Pages 9 to 10)

Recommendation:
That Lisa Hart be appointed to fill the vacancy for a person with a disability on the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee for the term September 2017 to November 30, 2017; and,

*I’m on the OAAC. It funny that this term is just 2 months. We can meet quorum as is. Why not just wait till November when notice goes out in the Oshawa This Week newspaper and online for residents to apply for a year, 2 year or 4 year term.

2. That Cindy Malachowski be appointed to the Oshawa Central Business District Improvement Area Board of Management for the term September 2017 to November 30, 2018.

*I hope Cindy’s appoint to the Oshawa Central Business District Improvement Area Board of Management is a good one for the downtown businesses.

2. That the notice provisions of By-law 147-2007 be waived for the technical amendments Committee Outstanding Items List.

*An angry lady spoke to this item. She spoke how this By-Law amendment is a cash grab and is strangling the Designated Drivers Industry. When spoke as a Delegation Request, I only heard her volume and not recognizable speech. When she came back to her seat (Which was a row behind me and 5 chairs over to my left – I walked over to her, told her I was hard of hearing, and asked if I could read her deliberation, and she handed me it. I read it and return it and thank her for letting me read it.

Before I left, I walked over to David Conway, I showed him a note asking if he gave his Delegation, he said he did. I don’t know what the City Council response was, but I know David will post it on The Oshawa Citizen – The Voice of Oshawa

I packed up my stuff and left the Council Chambers. I rode the elevator down with 4 people who were at City Council Meeting tonight in support of the Lady’s delegation opposed to By-Law amendment affecting the designated drivers Industry.

Outside, I recognize it was a warm night, a nice night for walking about. I began walking to Tim Horton’s on Athol Street. On my stroll – a friend bumped into me. At first I didn’t recall where I met him, but after a bit of talking I knew who he was. His name is Michael and I met him at The Vault like 3-4 years ago. We walked into Tim Horton’s together. I told him to keep in touch and handed him my business card. I ordered a green tea and sat down to finish reading a chapter in The Convoluted Universe Book 2.

Around 9:30pm, my buddy Mike C came in to sit with me. He was just visiting a friend in the South end. I told him I was gonna do karaoke at Gravity Lounge. He told me he was tired and was gonna go home to crash.

At Gravity Lounge I met my comrades and said I was gonna sing a song, but would leave shortly – for a needed rest for a long day of happenings tomorrow with my neighbor and at the BIAD in the evening for Youth Engagement Services. I grabbed my stack of songs, randomly choose “Sting – Fields of Gold” to sing and than I went home.

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